Stuart Fails to Save the Universe
Comic book store owner Stuart Bloom, from The Big Bang Theory (2007), returns in a new series where he attempts—and apparently fails—to save the universe, staying true to his unlucky nature.
Creator: Chuck Lorre, Zak Penn, Bill Prady
Cast: Kevin Sussman · Lauren Lapkus · Brian Posehn
We are breaking down the end of an era with Columbia House finally shutting down its legendary CD program after seventy-plus years. Plus, we dive into the latest D23 announcements and give you our unfiltered thoughts on Stuart Saves the Universe.
It happens to all of us eventually. You find yourself looking at the calendar and realizing another piece of physical media history is packing it in for good.
Recent news brought word that Columbia House is officially closing the book on its mail-order CD program. Final orders are due by September 15, 2026, ending a seventy-one-year run that supplied generations of music fans with endless stacks of compact discs through those iconic penny deals. As someone who grew up collecting physical media, seeing another cornerstone of that era shut down hits a bit differently. It marks the end of a very specific ritual in music fandom.
Shifting gears to the wider entertainment landscape, D23 dropped a mountain of news recently. Marvel had plenty of updates to share regarding Avengers Doomsday and incoming X-Men casting decisions, setting the stage for where the cinematic universe is heading next. We also touched on the unfortunate reality behind the cancelled live-action Power Rangers series at Disney Plus, which ultimately fell victim to the complicated economics of budget constraints and intellectual property ownership. Instead of dwelling entirely on what got left on the cutting room floor, TFG1Mike put it best when looking at the broader slate of announcements.
“Why focus on what we aren’t getting? Why not focus on what we are actually getting?”
TFG1Mike
Beyond the convention halls, the digital landscape keeps shifting underneath our feet. YouTube announced a change to its view-counting metrics starting August 24, 2026, where a view registers the exact moment a video begins to play across all formats. We also wrestled with the modern annoyance of tipping culture creeping into fast-food digital kiosks, Spotify rolling out its new AI music assistant Kit, and the strange surrealness of the Robin Williams Instagram account suddenly being reactivated.
Of course, we had to spend some actual time with what is currently hitting our screens. We dug into the second season of Batman Caped Crusader, but the main event of our viewing schedule was checking out Stuart Saves the Universe.
“Stuart Saves the Universe might be one of the coolest comedies of this year.”
Steve Megatron
There is plenty to enjoy here, starting with a genuinely great cast chemistry that holds the premise together, alongside a fun intro title sequence that sets the right tone. It manages to be one of the more genuinely entertaining comedies out there right now, even if you have to endure a few minor annoyances along the way, such as Kripke getting on your nerves from time to time.
Based on the episode: Columbia House’s Final Sign-Off & Stuart Fails To Save The Universe
